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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015
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Sheriff asks for prayers after death of deputy’s wife BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis asks members of the community to keep a local family in their thoughts and prayers after the death of a deputy’s wife during a collision that occurred at 8:55 a.m. Wednesday on Lewis Road. Theresa Browder, wife of
Sumter County Deputy Wayne Browder, died during the wreck. “Today was a tragic day for one of our officers, as well as our entire agency, as one of our family members deals with the loss of a loved one,” Dennis said. “We ask you keep the Browder family in your thoughts and prayers as they attempt to cope with this
were both traveling north on Lewis Road while Browder was traveling south. The Saturn SUV crossed the center line and struck Browder’s SUV head-on. As a result of the collision, the Saturn SUV then struck the Acura, Jones said. The other drivers were wearing seatbelts and were transported to an area hospi-
horrible tragedy.” Lance Cpl. David Jones with South Carolina Highway Patrol said the incident involved three vehicles: a Saturn SUV driven by a 26-year-old Sumter County man, a four-door Acura driven by an 18-yearold Sumter County woman and the Infiniti SUV driven by the 45-year-old Browder. Jones said the other drivers
tal with unspecified injuries. Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock said Browder was pronounced dead at the scene. He said Browder, who was also wearing a seatbelt when the collision occurred, suffered multiple blunt force trauma and died on impact.
SEE WRECK, PAGE A10
Legislators view road ahead Traffic
meeting small, effective
Sumter delegation says surplus will be spent quickly BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Despite reports of a $1.2 billion surplus available to the General Assembly during its next session beginning in January, legislators at Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast said budgetary bliss in not in the road ahead for South Carolina. “You are going to see this money go quickly,” said Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, who pointed out that some of the surplus is in accounts earmarked for education and the state lottery fund. The General Assembly will have to fund a response to the Abbeville decision concerning education in rural districts and the results of flooding on a state roads system already in need of additional money, Smith said. “Our roads are substandard, and we can’t live with the current road system,” he said. Smith called upon his constituents to be in contact with legislators between now and the beginning of the session. “Now is the time to interact with us and call us,” he said. “Difficult challenges lay before us,” said Rep. Joe Neal, DRichland. “As of now, it is not about restoring the roads, some of the roads were substandard to begin with.” Neal said the expected surplus is a one-time occurrence. “Next year we will not have the surplus,” he said. “We need to be careful about how we spend this money.” The state’s top priorities need to be the Abbeville case, roads and the Department of Social Services said Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter. He said social services is seriously understaffed, and he does not think all of the damage from the floods has yet been seen. “A portion of Calhoun Street
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
State Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter, above, speaking at the annual Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday at Central Carolina Technical College’s Health Sciences Center, discusses the importance of the Sumter County delegation working together. State Rep. David Weeks, DSumter, left, and state Rep. G. Murrell Smith Jr., R-Sumter, near left, take part in the discussion. PHOTOS BY RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
SEE BREAKFAST, PAGE A10
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Sumter City and County Planning Department held the final public meeting for the Hampton Park Historic District Traffic Calming Study Tuesday evening. The meetings were held to inform residents of the historic district and other city residents about traffic issues in that area and provide an open dialogue to find solutions to those problems. Senior Transportation Director Planner Allan Yu said there was a smaller turnout for the final meeting but those who did attend approved of the proposed solutions. The attendees were walked through a presentation explaining the traffic calming study and proposed plan, consisting of suggestions made by residents of the historic district during a previous meeting. Those suggestions include adding bike lanes, more sidewalks, four-way stops, median diverters, raised crosswalks, pedestrian lighting and median crossing islands along Calhoun Street. Yu said two of Tuesday’s meeting participants brought forward more suggestions to assist traffic in the historic district. He said one individual suggested that a protected left turn, a traffic signal directing drivers with an arrow pointing left, be added at the intersection of West Calhoun Street and North Guignard Drive. Yu said members of the consulting agency, Stantec Consulting of Raleigh, North Carolina, who were present during the meeting thought the
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INSIDE
FOG, THEN NICE
2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 48
Foggy this morning, giving way to a mostly sunny and warm day; partly cloudy this evening; fog again settles in at night.
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